Conventional digital projectors are generally devices that integrate light sources, light modulators, optics systems, electronics, and/or displays for projecting images, using data signals from computers or video devices, onto walls or screens, for large-image viewing. During a frame (whether a standard NTSC frame lasting approximately 1/60th of a second or a frame of some other duration), light emitted by the light source is modulated and then projected onto the viewing surface at designated pixel locations to form the image being displayed. Conventional projectors have limitations depending upon their architecture and implementation.
For example some systems, such as the Texas Instruments DLP based systems, utilize a color wheel in series with a micro-mirror light modulator. Issues that may arise with the DLP system include sequential color artifacts, cost of the micro-mirror, and lost light due to the color wheel.
Other systems such as LCD projectors split the light using dichroics into primary colors, and modulate each color with an LCD panel before recombining the light. While these systems are often more light-efficient than color wheels, there is still light lost due to polarization. Also, the optics tend to be complicated and expensive.